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Pune Car Free Day 2008
Event report September 22nd, the world car free day, was celebrated in Pune with a bicycle rally. The rally, organized by different civic groups such as Parisar, Janwani, Pune Cycle Pratishthan and Rotaract Club, emphasised the importance of non-motorized transport as an integral element of sustainable transport planning for the city. Enthusiastic cyclists numbering about 200 cycled down four different routes – from Aundh, GPO, Karve statue and Shaniwarwada – chanting slogans in support of non-motorized transport and sensitizing citizens along the route, before converging on Sambhaji Park. The cyclists included citizens from all walks of life – students, activists, IT sector employees, Government servants, businessmen, housewives and senior citizens – indicating that the concern for sustainable mobility cuts across the social spectrum. The participants included the Municipal Commissioner, Mr. Pardeshi, and Mr. Dario Hidalgo and Mr. Madhav Pai, sustainable transport experts from Embarq who were visiting Pune in connection with Pune’s BRT. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Mr. Manoj Patil also showed his support for the event by joining the rallyists at Sambhaji Park at the end on a bicycle. The rally ended with a demand by the citizens that the city should provide for better cycling facilities, better walking facilities and better public transport rather than spending money on infra-structure that will primarily benefit cars and two-wheelers such as flyovers and bigger roads. The citizens’ groups hope that this successful rally is a significant step towards demanding more sustainable solutions to transport planning in the city. They also said the world car free day in 2009 would be celebrated on a bigger scale with a visible impact on the city’s traffic. Video gallery Interview with Dario Hidalgo, transportation expert from Embarq/WRI (1:50) FMVzHH1wAEw Interview with Dinesh Girolla, PMC Engineer and member, NMT cell (0:38) Mytzy7CvCs8 Cycling down the E-square flyover (0:58) oamp5-T_w3I Crossing Bal Gandharva Chowk (0:48) uYqQteUyG6Y Interview with Mr. Baljit Singh, a rickshaw driver (Hindi) (0:27) RuaW8xj5KdM Picture gallery Image:Aundh-ready-to-go.jpg|Ready to go from Aundh Image:Ganeskhkhind-Road.jpg|Down Ganeshkhind Road Image:Rallying_ladies.jpg|Rallying ladies Image:Cycling_away.jpg|Cycling away Image:PMPML_protest_and_T-shirts.jpg|Protest against bus fare hike at Sambhaji Park Image:Cycles-at-sambhaji-park.jpg‎|Some of the cycles at Sambhaji Park at the end of the rally Event details Date: Monday, 22nd September 2008 Time: 7.30AM - 9.30AM The rally will be held on Monday, 22nd September 2008. It will begin at 7.30AM from four different locations in the city, and all four groups of cyclists will converge at Sambhaji Park on J.M. Road. It is expected that the rally will be completed around 9.30a.m. The rally routes are given below: And here is a map of Pune with the routes shown (you can zoom in/out using the +/- buttons to see the route in greater/lesser detail): Frequently Asked Questions 1. Why have the rally on Monday morning? Will this not impede traffic? This rally stems from the need to reduce the dominance of cars, and in the Indian context, 2-wheelers on the roads. You will have noticed that cyclists and pedestrians have almost no space left on the roads. Not just vehicle operators, but even authorities increasingly look at cyclists and pedestrians as "impediments" to the flow of traffic. However sustainable transport policy is based on giving primacy to public transport and non-motorized transport, meaning cyclists and pedestrians. What this means is that there is not much point in having a cycle rally on a holiday or during non-peak traffic hours. The intent is for cyclists to say, "hey, I need my fair share of the road space too!". Of course that having been said, we will finish by 8:30 am, so we are not completely stopping traffic, but we need not be apologetic about it. 2. Even if I ride a cycle today, I'm hardly likely to ride again, so what's the point? You would want to cycle if Pune were like this! True! The rally will be pointless if it merely gets a few or even thousands of cyclists out on the road on just this one day. If we want more people to ride a bike on a regular basis then we must have a cycle-friendly city, one where I would want to bike, want to leave my vehicle at home. Pune just isn't like that right now, but we want it to be. The rally is a way to emphasise this and hopefully get more people demanding changes. 3. I don't have a cycle, how do I join? Is it possible for you to provide a cycle? Unfortunately we cannot provide a cycle. See if you can rent one (and post here locations and contact of such cycle stores) or borrow one for the day. There is sure to be an unused cycle in disrepair somewhere that you could get fixed up before the rally. You still have time! A Bicycle shop at Khadki (perhaps the biggest at Khadki) placed in the same complex of where the Guruprasad Gas Agency is (Indane LPG Gas Distribution Agency), lends Bicycle on rent at a very nominal price (may be Rs 3/- per hour). 4. Is it legal to have a cycle rally? Yes. As long as one gets the permission of the Police. We have already sent such a letter to the Commissioner of Police. 22nd September 2008 Category:2008 Category:Pune Events Category:Transportation